Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
Kate and Cecelia (Regency Magic) trilogy, Book One
Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Open Road Young Readers
May 22, 2012 / ASIN: B007ZI01ZY
Historical Fantasy, Alternate Timeline, Regency (1817)
Ages 12 and up
Amazon

Reviewed by Beth E. McKenzie

Something that always amazes me in the 19th century historicals I enjoy reading is the capacity of the British mail system. The heroine sends a note across town in the morning and receives a response in afternoon. Cousins Kate and Cecilia exploit this efficient service to keep a running narrative by mail while Kate is in London for her "season" and the younger Cecelia is left behind in the country for another year.

They exchange gossip about the parties they attend, new acquaintances and the young men who present themselves; standard fare for girls on the edge of womanhood. Each letter also describes a progressively more intricate mystery that entangles both girls in a quest to release a young wizard from a magical prison. The letters take on a more sinister tone as each girl dodges one magical trap after another and finds herself in the company of any number of enigmatic figures. Which ones are the guardian angels and which ones the fair-faced adversary? Some of them kept me guessing until the end.

In the beginning I thought that the format of letters between friends would make the book hard to read, but after the first few turns the letters turn into a narrative from the correspondent's perspective, complete with dialogue. Be sure to read the section at the end about how the two authors created the story. It sounds like they had fun, and it shows in this creative and exciting tale.